Yes, it seems as if Apple has been making more headlines as of late. And not all of those headlines have been good.

Depending on which Web sites make up your daily surfing, you might have caught items indicating that Apple may hand out $50 credits for iPod batteries, that the company’s iTunes Music Store is almost as popular as freebie peer-to-peer music sites, and that Apple’s warehouses are crammed with unsold iPods.

There was also a press release issued by the company itself trumpeting its “free recycling” program for iPods. As if people were actually paying to recycle their iPods.

But sometimes it’s not what you say but how you say it, and the Apple spinmeisters were definitely clocking some extra hours last week in their neverending campaign to show the world that Steve Jobs really does love each and every one of us.

Take that $50 battery credit, for example, which is part of a proposed settlement to end a class action suit against the company, and has nothing to do with Mr. Job’s legendary humanitarian spirit.

Back in 2003, eight iPod customers filed suit in California State Court against Apple, claiming the batteries powering the then-new iPod failed to live up to Apple’s claims. What claims, you ask? Well, it seems that back in the iPod’s infancy, Apple said not only would the batteries provide power for up to 10 hours per charge but the batteries would pretty much last a lifetime.

Are you through laughing?

Of course, the most common complaint voiced during the Ipod’s early years was that the battery could rarely last up to 10 hours between charges and that it had a tendency to crap out well before the unit’s owner passed into the great beyond.

In response to battery complaints, Apple instituted a battery program, which, for $99, the company would replace those batteries that failed to last onward into eternity. Back then, the $99 battery replacement program served Apple well, if only because it gave something iPod salespeople could tell their customers when questioned about those nasty battery rumors.

But the complaints continued, with thousands of iPod customers claiming they were only getting one or two hours of play time between battery charges. What’s more, environmentalists were getting on Apple’s case about all those dead batteries the company was tossing onto the junkpile.

Under the proposed settlement, people who purchased iPods before May 31, 2004, may apply for a $50 certificate good toward the purchase of any Apple product except iTunes downloads or gift certificates. If you’re one of the estimated 2 million who purchased iPods during this period, check out AppleiPodSettlement.com for more info on how to collect your battery booty.

While this is simply the proposed settlement, it does look like it will become a done deal come August 25th. That’s when a judge will issue a final approval.

But getting a reprieve from your battery’s final days is only one pan in the fire for Apple, for while the news about the settlement was making the rounds, Apple flacks were busy promoting the company’s new iPod recycling program.

Simply put, bring your old iPod to Apple retail stores and you’ll receive a 10 percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod. However, there is a catch. You have to buy the new player the same day you turn in your old one.

Apple’s official statement didn’t go into detail on the recycling program. However, the company did say that all iPods received by way of the recycling program are “processed domestically and no hazardous material is shipped overseas.”

Guess that means that those of you who have strong feelings about the environment can rest easy knowing that any hazardous material resulting from Apple’s iPod recycling program will stay right here in the good ol’ USA.

Meanwhile, Apple appears to be up to its corporate neck in, well, Apples. Tech news site AppleInsider.com claims the company is overstocked in iPods, and that most flavors of Apple’s Macintosh computer line is taking up more warehouse floor space than planned.

The Web site says that “tens of thousands” of iPod Shuffles “remain idle in the channels this week alongside a good number of iPod Photos.”

The article goes on to say that sales of all but two of Apple’s main products have showed signs of flat-lining, and claims the only two lines proving to be the exception are U2 iPods and iMac G5 computers.

Although Apple hasn’t officially commented on rumors about a slowdown in iPod sales, other than to trot a company spokesman to state that the company doesn’t “comment on rumors and speculation,” that didn’t stop investors from unloading a few apples of their own. By the end of trading on Friday, June 3rd, Apple stock had fallen $1.80, or 4.5 percent on the Nasdaq to close at $38.24.

But there was some good news for Apple. Research company NPD Group recently released some numbers showing that iTunes is more popular than most peer-to-peer file-trading networks.

NPD’s MusicWatch Digital service issued a report stating that iTunes was tied with LimeWire for second place in the hearts of music downloaders. Of course, comparing iTunes with a wide-open P2P is kind of like, dare we say, comparing apples to oranges, with one company legally selling songs online, while the other just makes it easier to folks to swap free tunes on the Internet.

In NPD’s latest top 10, which reflects online music downloading that took place during March of this year, P2Per WinMX grabbed the No. 1 spot. Other players included P2P outfits Kazaa, BearShare, Morpheus, Ares Galaxy and iMesh dominating the chart. However, legal song-sellers Napster and the Real Player Store also made a strong showing, with the former placing seven and the latter clocking in at the No. 9 position.

“One of the music industry’s questions has been, ‘When will paid download stores compete head-to-head with free P2P download services?'” NPD’s Music and Movies division president Russ Crupnick said in a statement announcing the survey results. “That question has now been answered. Itunes is more popular than nearly any P2P service, and two other paid digital music offerings have also gained a level of critical mass. These digital download stores appear to have created a compelling and economically viable alternative to illegal file sharing.”